Thursday, November 12, 2015

IS THERE A REWARD FOR OUR GOOD DEEDS?

Pic.: Aruna Anand

Around 1.30, yesterday, I got a call from a lady from our
housing Society. When I saw her name on my mobile screen, I spontaneously said,
“Wish you a very happy Diwali, ma’am.”

“Thank-you so much sir,
wish you and your family the same,” the lady responded quite
enthusiastically. Then, in a sombre voice, she continued, “Sir, I called you to inform that dad passed away an hour
ago. The funeral will be at 4, today!”

For a moment, I found
difficult to switch gear, “Really sorry to hear the sad news, ma’am,” I managed
to say, “I will arrange to display on our notice board and will be there in a
while.”

Being our Society’s
Hon. Chairman, I, immediately, swang into action: I put it on our Society’s
WhatsApp group as well as on the notice board. I made some calls and sent some personal
messages. And, then, I went to the grieving family’s residence and remained
with them till the end, that is late in the evening.

“He died on an auspicious
day,” was the general consensus, yesterday. It was the main day of Diwali. Even
then, at such a short notice, so many from his family had turned up for the funeral.
“He had been a very helpful person,” a young-man told me as the body was
consumed by the fire, “He had touched the lives of so many of us.”

The night before that, another young-man had asked me this question: “Sir, do you really think that
when we help others, we, too, will be helped?”

In other words, the
young-man wanted to know if our good deeds would bring us good rewards.

“Yes, yes, we ‘will’ be
helped,” I said,” without blinking. Then, I added, “Why do we have to put a
condition before we help others? If we help, because our hearts feel strongly to
do so, then, we should go by our hearts and help… and, we should leave it at
that. That’s all. What happens after that, is not in our hands… It should not
be our concern.”

I am a strong believer
in the Law of Karma. “What goes around comes around.” “What we sow, we reap.” Last evening, as the funeral fire kept burning
through the quietness, my belief became even stronger… “Yes, there is a reward
for our good deeds,” I kept reminding myself. “But, that’s not for us to
decide.”

No comments:

THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS

About Me

'Passionate about Life.'... That's how I see myself. For me, the term 'passion' has a special meaning. It is living life with its totality... With all its hues and confusions, with all its triumphs and defeats.
I consider myself as a little kid, still groping in the dark -- trying to find a way out of this great maze. Sometimes, I wonder: whether there is a way out at all? Whether the maze itself is the way?
Thus, as a kid awe-struck by this amazing mystery called LIFE, I have a lot to share with my fellow kids. I believe, it would be an exciting and fulfilling journey, each morning...
I am, indeed, looking forward to each dawn, with fresh eyes... And my fresh note to share...
Love,
GERALD D'CUNHA